Sunday, October 19, 2014

"Taking back your democracy"

So, Stephan Pastis of Pearls Before Swine is at it again...infusing his (excellent) comic strip with truth:

Midterms are notorious for low voter turnout. Everywhere where the GOP has control, they've been working hard to make sure the "wrong kind" of voter (i.e. Democrat) turnout is even lower. Wisconsin is a great example -- where, until this late implementation was halted by the Supreme Court, Walker & co were going to implement a voter ID law that required a state issued ID (and sometimes difficult to attain original documents to get it) two months before the election...despite the fact that the DMV's in some counties wouldn't even be open until after the election or the day of the election (meaning that people without driver's licenses would somehow have to get a ride to a different county, or to the DMV and then the polls the day of the election [where it was open that day]). There are 300,000 Wisconsin voters without ID; the GOP did everything they could to ensure that they couldn't vote. Putting a roadblock -- insurmountable, in some cases (where, for instance, a person lives in the county where there is no open DMV before the election, and they, obviously, cannot drive to one in a different county) because of a non-issue (there has only been one actual case of voter fraud in Wisconsin -- and it involved a Scott Walker supporter) is a blatant attempt at voter disenfranchisement. The Wisconsin GOP's plan is on hold for now, thanks to the Supreme Court.
But the fact that they tried it at all, that they will implement it for the next election, should speak volumes. Voter turnout is something they fear, so much that they're willing to target it.

And if we sit on our duffs this election, if we stay home because we're tired, or don't think we'll win, or have better things to do...we've done their work for them. If you want to keep your democracy, get out there. Vote. It doesn't matter if your line is long, if it's cold, if you'd rather be somewhere else. Your lines will never get shorter if you stay home because they're too long (the GOP has been cutting voting options nationwide, deliberately making
it as unpleasant as possible to exercise your right to vote; that's not going to change if they get back in). And there's very little more important than deciding whether people who want to strip women, LGBT people, and working people of as many rights as possible will be running this country; there's little that's more important than deciding if the government will have your interests, or big business', at heart. These are things that will inconvenience your life far more than standing in line in November could ever do. Even in Wisconsin. So, please, for your own sake and this country's, get out there and vote. Before the REPO man really does show up.